St Wilfrid's Chapel, Church Norton
Encyclopedia
St Wilfrid's Chapel, also known as St Wilfrid's Church and originally as St Peter's Church, is a former Anglican church at Church Norton, a rural location near the village of Selsey
in West Sussex
, England. In its original, larger form, the church served as Selsey's parish church
from the 13th century until 1866; but in that year half of it was dismantled, moved to the centre of the village and rebuilt along with modern additions. Only the chancel
of the old church survived in its harbourside location of "sequestered leafiness", resembling a cemetery chapel in the middle of its graveyard. It was rededicated to St Wilfrid
—7th-century founder of a now vanished cathedral at Selsey—and served as a chapel of ease
until the Diocese of Chichester
declared it redundant
in 1990. Since then it has been in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust
charity. The tiny chapel, which may occupy the site of an ancient monastery built by St Wilfrid, has been listed at Grade I by English Heritage
for its architectural and historical importance.
lies to the east and south, and Pagham Harbour
forms the northern boundary and originally had a connection to the sea on the west side as well. Two settlements developed in the parish: the main village (Selsey) and a hamlet called Church Norton (or Norton) about 1+1/2 mi to the northeast, on the "wild shoreline" of Pagham Harbour.
This land is considered the most likely site of Cymenshore
, the place where Ælle of Sussex—the first King of the South Saxons
—came ashore in 477. Two centuries later, Wilfrid
(later canonised as Saint Wilfrid) Christianised the area, using Selsey as his base. He was apparently granted land on the island in the 7th century, upon which he founded a monastery
in 681. This later became a cathedral, and 25 bishops served between 681 and 1075. Coastal erosion
destroyed the small cathedral city soon afterwards, though, and nearby Chichester
—a former Roman walled city—became the local ecclesiastical centre when the Normans
established Chichester Cathedral
.
Although the monastery disappeared by the 11th century, its site was not eroded by the sea and survived as a "delightfully secluded location" on what had become a peninsula
. By the late 12th century, a church occupied the isolated site; some sources suggest it may have replaced a Saxon
building, but no evidence of this survives. The church had an aisled and arcaded nave
, chancel
, bellcot
, porch and tower at its greatest extent. The arcades to the original three-bay
nave were the oldest structural element, dating from about 1180. Soon after these were installed, the nave was extended by a further bay. The chancel was added in the early 13th century and had plain lancet window
s in the side walls. An east window in the Perpendicular Gothic style was added later, as were windows in the aisles (inserted in the 15th century), and a tower with diagonal buttress
es was erected at the west end in the 16th century.
Selsey village grew after 670 acres (271.1 ha) of common land were enclosed
in 1830: new roads and housing were built, and it became a minor seaside resort. Church Norton's remoteness from the centre of population encouraged the construction of a new church on Selsey High Street. The old church, which at this time was still dedicated to St Peter, was partly demolished—only its chancel
was left standing—and some of the material was incorporated in the new church, also called St Peter's Church
and designed by J.P. St Aubyn
. The year in which this happened is given variously as 1864, 1865 and 1866.
According to Edward Heron-Allen
a meeting was held in the vestry, of the old church, on 1 July 1864, with eight people and the rector in attendance. The purpose of the meeting was to authorise the raising of £600 towards the expenses of the removal of the church. The remainder of the cost was to be paid by the Lady of the Manor, a Mrs Vernon-Harcourt. The lady also presented the village with a site for the new church. However, the scheme was opposed by some as they did not want to see the disappearance of a fine old Early-English church; it was therefore agreed that the old church, apart from the chancel, should be moved to the new site stone by stone. On 24 November 1864, the churchwardens and overseers borrowed £600 required to make up the cost of removal under an act of Parliament, and the removal was started. The building work was completed in 1865, and the new church reconsecrated on 12 April 1866.
Structural elements and fittings moved from Church Norton to the new parish church included a Norman-era
font
, pillars, arches and and three bays
of pointed-arched arcading from the nave, a bell cast in 1844 by Mears & Co. of the Whitechapel Bell Foundry
, and some Eucharistic objects from the 16th to the 18th centuries. The arcading had chamfer
ing and scallop-shaped capitals
.
The old church functioned as a cemetery chapel for the next few decades, standing in the middle of its graveyard. In 1906, it was fitted out with some internal fixtures from the recently demolished St Martin's Church at Chichester, including a font, and in 1917 the church was rededicated to St Wilfrid by the Bishop of Chichester
. By this time the chapel was within the parish of the new St Peter's Church, Some services continued, and stained glass
was added in 1969 and 1982. In 1990, the chapel was declared redundant
by the Diocese of Chichester
, and services ceased except for special occasions.
The church was the subject of a poem by Rudyard Kipling
. Eddi's Service, from the 1910 book Rewards and Fairies
, describes how Eddi the priest was determined to celebrate Midnight Mass
one stormy Christmas Eve despite no parishioners attending. "I must go on with the service/For such as care to attend" he announced; and when the candles were lit for the start of the service, an old donkey and a "wet, yoke-weary bullock" wandered in to the church and stayed until dawn broke, listening to Eddi preaching. The tale is apocryphal—and may have been based on a traditional story local to the Manhood Peninsula
—but Wilfrid's own chaplain during his ministry at Selsey was Eddius Stephanus (Stephen of Ripon), which inspired the name of the priest.
es. This was never finished and stood only 8 feet (2.4 m) high. The remaining chancel of the church is a simple Early English Gothic building with original lancet window
s in the north and south walls. The three-light east window dates from the 15th century and is Perpendicular Gothic in style. Traces of the former chancel arch and the respond
s of the arcades are still visible on the west wall. The fact that the church is "divided into two halves and standing in two different places" has led to it being described as "one of the oddest in England".
There are two recesses in the south wall, one of which is used as a piscina
. Another ancient fixture that remains is a roughly executed carving of John Lewis (or Lews) and his wife Agnes, dated 1537. In the form of a triptych, it shows them kneeling and facing a central panel which has now been defaced beyond recognition but which would have shown a Crucifixion
or Trinity
scene. It occupies a recess in the north wall and is carved from Caen stone
. Next to it, another carving depicts St George
and the "gruesome martyrdom" of St Agatha
. Ian Nairn
described its style as characteristic of the area and its date: "combining kneeling figures with purely Gothic and purely religious subjects".
The 20th-century stained glass
consists of a 1969 window by Carl Edwards, commemorating women and featuring an image of the now demolished All Saints Cathedral in Cairo
, and a 1982 piece by Michael Farrar-Bell
which portrays the nature reserve at Pagham Harbour
and its animals and birds.
on 5 June 1958. Such buildings are of "exceptional interest [and] sometimes considered to be internationally important". As of February 2001, it was one of 80 Grade I listed buildings, and 3,251 listed buildings of all grades, in the district of Chichester
.
The Diocese of Chichester
declared the chapel redundant
on 1 November 1990. It was placed into the care of the Redundant Churches Fund (now the Churches Conservation Trust
) from that date, and is now one of five former churches in West Sussex administered by the charity; the others are at Chichester
, North Stoke
, Tortington
and Warminghurst
.
As of 2006, services were still held irregularly at the church, in particular on the feast day
of Saint Wilfrid (12 October).
Selsey
Selsey is a seaside town and civil parish, about seven miles south of Chichester, in the Chichester District of West Sussex, England. Selsey lies at the southernmost point of the Manhood Peninsula, almost cut off from mainland Sussex by the sea...
in West Sussex
West Sussex
West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming...
, England. In its original, larger form, the church served as Selsey's parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
from the 13th century until 1866; but in that year half of it was dismantled, moved to the centre of the village and rebuilt along with modern additions. Only the chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
of the old church survived in its harbourside location of "sequestered leafiness", resembling a cemetery chapel in the middle of its graveyard. It was rededicated to St Wilfrid
Wilfrid
Wilfrid was an English bishop and saint. Born a Northumbrian noble, he entered religious life as a teenager and studied at Lindisfarne, at Canterbury, in Gaul, and at Rome; he returned to Northumbria in about 660, and became the abbot of a newly founded monastery at Ripon...
—7th-century founder of a now vanished cathedral at Selsey—and served as a chapel of ease
Chapel of ease
A chapel of ease is a church building other than the parish church, built within the bounds of a parish for the attendance of those who cannot reach the parish church conveniently....
until the Diocese of Chichester
Diocese of Chichester
The Diocese of Chichester is a Church of England diocese based in Chichester, covering Sussex. It was created in 1075 to replace the old Diocese of Selsey, which was based at Selsey Abbey from 681. The cathedral is Chichester Cathedral and the bishop is the Bishop of Chichester...
declared it redundant
Redundant church
A redundant church is a church building that is no longer required for regular public worship. The phrase is particularly used to refer to former Anglican buildings in the United Kingdom, but may refer to any disused church building around the world...
in 1990. Since then it has been in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust
Churches Conservation Trust
The Churches Conservation Trust, which was initially known as the Redundant Churches Fund, is a charity whose purpose is to protect historic churches at risk, those that have been made redundant by the Church of England. The Trust was established by the Pastoral Measure of 1968...
charity. The tiny chapel, which may occupy the site of an ancient monastery built by St Wilfrid, has been listed at Grade I by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
for its architectural and historical importance.
History
The parish of Selsey is in the far southwestern corner of Sussex and was once an island: the English ChannelEnglish Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
lies to the east and south, and Pagham Harbour
Pagham Harbour
Pagham Harbour is a natural harbour on England's south coast. It is south of the city of Chichester and near the towns of Pagham and Selsey.Geographically it is the smallest and most easterly of the harbours of the Solent....
forms the northern boundary and originally had a connection to the sea on the west side as well. Two settlements developed in the parish: the main village (Selsey) and a hamlet called Church Norton (or Norton) about 1+1/2 mi to the northeast, on the "wild shoreline" of Pagham Harbour.
This land is considered the most likely site of Cymenshore
Cymenshore
Cymenshore is the place in Southern England where according to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, Ælle of Sussex landed in 477 AD and battled the Welsh with his three sons Cymen, Wlencing and Cissa.-Historical context:The account of Ælle and his three sons landing at Cymenshore, in the Anglo Saxon...
, the place where Ælle of Sussex—the first King of the South Saxons
Kingdom of Sussex
The Kingdom of Sussex or Kingdom of the South Saxons was a Saxon colony and later independent kingdom of the Saxons, on the south coast of England. Its boundaries coincided in general with those of the earlier kingdom of the Regnenses and the later county of Sussex. A large part of its territory...
—came ashore in 477. Two centuries later, Wilfrid
Wilfrid
Wilfrid was an English bishop and saint. Born a Northumbrian noble, he entered religious life as a teenager and studied at Lindisfarne, at Canterbury, in Gaul, and at Rome; he returned to Northumbria in about 660, and became the abbot of a newly founded monastery at Ripon...
(later canonised as Saint Wilfrid) Christianised the area, using Selsey as his base. He was apparently granted land on the island in the 7th century, upon which he founded a monastery
Selsey Abbey
Selsey Abbey was almost certainly built at Church Norton, Selsey, Sussex, England. It was founded in 683AD, and became the seat of the Sussex bishopric, until it was moved in 1075AD to Chichester.-Historical Context :...
in 681. This later became a cathedral, and 25 bishops served between 681 and 1075. Coastal erosion
Coastal erosion
Coastal erosion is the wearing away of land and the removal of beach or dune sediments by wave action, tidal currents, wave currents, or drainage...
destroyed the small cathedral city soon afterwards, though, and nearby Chichester
Chichester
Chichester is a cathedral city in West Sussex, within the historic County of Sussex, South-East England. It has a long history as a settlement; its Roman past and its subsequent importance in Anglo-Saxon times are only its beginnings...
—a former Roman walled city—became the local ecclesiastical centre when the Normans
Norman conquest of England
The Norman conquest of England began on 28 September 1066 with the invasion of England by William, Duke of Normandy. William became known as William the Conqueror after his victory at the Battle of Hastings on 14 October 1066, defeating King Harold II of England...
established Chichester Cathedral
Chichester Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity, otherwise called Chichester Cathedral, is the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Chichester. It is located in Chichester, in Sussex, England...
.
Although the monastery disappeared by the 11th century, its site was not eroded by the sea and survived as a "delightfully secluded location" on what had become a peninsula
Manhood Peninsula
The Manhood Peninsula is the southernmost part of Sussex in England. It has the English channel to its south and Chichester to the north.The peninsula is bordered to its west by Chichester Harbour and to its east by Pagham Harbour, its southern headland being Selsey Bill.-Name:The name Manhood has...
. By the late 12th century, a church occupied the isolated site; some sources suggest it may have replaced a Saxon
Anglo-Saxon architecture
Anglo-Saxon architecture was a period in the history of architecture in England, and parts of Wales, from the mid-5th century until the Norman Conquest of 1066. Anglo-Saxon secular buildings in Britain were generally simple, constructed mainly using timber with thatch for roofing...
building, but no evidence of this survives. The church had an aisled and arcaded nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
, chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
, bellcot
Bell-Cot
A bell-cot, bell-cote or bellcote, is a small framework and shelter for one or more bells, supported on brackets projecting from a wall or built on the roof of chapels or churches which have no towers. It often holds the Sanctus bell rung at the Consecration....
, porch and tower at its greatest extent. The arcades to the original three-bay
Bay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
nave were the oldest structural element, dating from about 1180. Soon after these were installed, the nave was extended by a further bay. The chancel was added in the early 13th century and had plain lancet window
Lancet window
A lancet window is a tall narrow window with a pointed arch at its top. It acquired the "lancet" name from its resemblance to a lance. Instances of this architectural motif are most often found in Gothic and ecclesiastical structures, where they are often placed singly or in pairs.The motif first...
s in the side walls. An east window in the Perpendicular Gothic style was added later, as were windows in the aisles (inserted in the 15th century), and a tower with diagonal buttress
Buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall...
es was erected at the west end in the 16th century.
Selsey village grew after 670 acres (271.1 ha) of common land were enclosed
Enclosure
Enclosure or inclosure is the process which ends traditional rights such as mowing meadows for hay, or grazing livestock on common land. Once enclosed, these uses of the land become restricted to the owner, and it ceases to be common land. In England and Wales the term is also used for the...
in 1830: new roads and housing were built, and it became a minor seaside resort. Church Norton's remoteness from the centre of population encouraged the construction of a new church on Selsey High Street. The old church, which at this time was still dedicated to St Peter, was partly demolished—only its chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
was left standing—and some of the material was incorporated in the new church, also called St Peter's Church
St Peter's Church, Selsey
St Peter's Church is the Parish Church of Selsey, West Sussex and dates from the 13th century. The Church building was originally situated at the location of St Wilfrid's first monastery and cathedral at Church Norton some 2 miles north of the present centre of population.-Building:The church was...
and designed by J.P. St Aubyn
James Piers St Aubyn
James Piers St Aubyn , often referred to as J. P. St Aubyn, was an English architect of the Victorian era, known for his church architecture and confident restorations.-Early life:...
. The year in which this happened is given variously as 1864, 1865 and 1866.
According to Edward Heron-Allen
Edward Heron-Allen
Edward Heron-Allen was an English polymath, writer, scientist and Persian scholar who translated the works of Omar Khayyam.-Life:...
a meeting was held in the vestry, of the old church, on 1 July 1864, with eight people and the rector in attendance. The purpose of the meeting was to authorise the raising of £600 towards the expenses of the removal of the church. The remainder of the cost was to be paid by the Lady of the Manor, a Mrs Vernon-Harcourt. The lady also presented the village with a site for the new church. However, the scheme was opposed by some as they did not want to see the disappearance of a fine old Early-English church; it was therefore agreed that the old church, apart from the chancel, should be moved to the new site stone by stone. On 24 November 1864, the churchwardens and overseers borrowed £600 required to make up the cost of removal under an act of Parliament, and the removal was started. The building work was completed in 1865, and the new church reconsecrated on 12 April 1866.
Structural elements and fittings moved from Church Norton to the new parish church included a Norman-era
Norman architecture
About|Romanesque architecture, primarily English|other buildings in Normandy|Architecture of Normandy.File:Durham Cathedral. Nave by James Valentine c.1890.jpg|thumb|200px|The nave of Durham Cathedral demonstrates the characteristic round arched style, though use of shallow pointed arches above the...
font
Baptismal font
A baptismal font is an article of church furniture or a fixture used for the baptism of children and adults.-Aspersion and affusion fonts:...
, pillars, arches and and three bays
Bay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
of pointed-arched arcading from the nave, a bell cast in 1844 by Mears & Co. of the Whitechapel Bell Foundry
Whitechapel Bell Foundry
The Whitechapel Bell Foundry is a bell foundry in Whitechapel in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, in the East End of London. The foundry is listed by the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest manufacturing company in Great Britain...
, and some Eucharistic objects from the 16th to the 18th centuries. The arcading had chamfer
Chamfer
A chamfer is a beveled edge connecting two surfaces. If the surfaces are at right angles, the chamfer will typically be symmetrical at 45 degrees. A fillet is the rounding off of an interior corner. A rounding of an exterior corner is called a "round" or a "radius"."Chamfer" is a term commonly...
ing and scallop-shaped capitals
Capital (architecture)
In architecture the capital forms the topmost member of a column . It mediates between the column and the load thrusting down upon it, broadening the area of the column's supporting surface...
.
The old church functioned as a cemetery chapel for the next few decades, standing in the middle of its graveyard. In 1906, it was fitted out with some internal fixtures from the recently demolished St Martin's Church at Chichester, including a font, and in 1917 the church was rededicated to St Wilfrid by the Bishop of Chichester
Bishop of Chichester
The Bishop of Chichester is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Chichester in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers the Counties of East and West Sussex. The see is in the City of Chichester where the seat is located at the Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity...
. By this time the chapel was within the parish of the new St Peter's Church, Some services continued, and stained glass
Stained glass
The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...
was added in 1969 and 1982. In 1990, the chapel was declared redundant
Redundant church
A redundant church is a church building that is no longer required for regular public worship. The phrase is particularly used to refer to former Anglican buildings in the United Kingdom, but may refer to any disused church building around the world...
by the Diocese of Chichester
Diocese of Chichester
The Diocese of Chichester is a Church of England diocese based in Chichester, covering Sussex. It was created in 1075 to replace the old Diocese of Selsey, which was based at Selsey Abbey from 681. The cathedral is Chichester Cathedral and the bishop is the Bishop of Chichester...
, and services ceased except for special occasions.
The church was the subject of a poem by Rudyard Kipling
Rudyard Kipling
Joseph Rudyard Kipling was an English poet, short-story writer, and novelist chiefly remembered for his celebration of British imperialism, tales and poems of British soldiers in India, and his tales for children. Kipling received the 1907 Nobel Prize for Literature...
. Eddi's Service, from the 1910 book Rewards and Fairies
Rewards and Fairies
Rewards and Fairies is a historical fantasy book by Rudyard Kipling published in 1910. The title comes from the poem Farewell, Rewards and Fairies by Richard Corbet. The poem is referred to by the children in the first story of the preceding book Puck of Pook's Hill...
, describes how Eddi the priest was determined to celebrate Midnight Mass
Mass (liturgy)
"Mass" is one of the names by which the sacrament of the Eucharist is called in the Roman Catholic Church: others are "Eucharist", the "Lord's Supper", the "Breaking of Bread", the "Eucharistic assembly ", the "memorial of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection", the "Holy Sacrifice", the "Holy and...
one stormy Christmas Eve despite no parishioners attending. "I must go on with the service/For such as care to attend" he announced; and when the candles were lit for the start of the service, an old donkey and a "wet, yoke-weary bullock" wandered in to the church and stayed until dawn broke, listening to Eddi preaching. The tale is apocryphal—and may have been based on a traditional story local to the Manhood Peninsula
Manhood Peninsula
The Manhood Peninsula is the southernmost part of Sussex in England. It has the English channel to its south and Chichester to the north.The peninsula is bordered to its west by Chichester Harbour and to its east by Pagham Harbour, its southern headland being Selsey Bill.-Name:The name Manhood has...
—but Wilfrid's own chaplain during his ministry at Selsey was Eddius Stephanus (Stephen of Ripon), which inspired the name of the priest.
Architecture and fittings
Originally the church had an aisled nave with a four-bay arcade (three bays dating from the 1180s and another added about 50 years later), a porch and a 16th-century tower with diagonal buttressButtress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall...
es. This was never finished and stood only 8 feet (2.4 m) high. The remaining chancel of the church is a simple Early English Gothic building with original lancet window
Lancet window
A lancet window is a tall narrow window with a pointed arch at its top. It acquired the "lancet" name from its resemblance to a lance. Instances of this architectural motif are most often found in Gothic and ecclesiastical structures, where they are often placed singly or in pairs.The motif first...
s in the north and south walls. The three-light east window dates from the 15th century and is Perpendicular Gothic in style. Traces of the former chancel arch and the respond
Respond
A respond is a half-pier or half-pillar which is bonded into a wall and designed to carry the springer at one end of an arch....
s of the arcades are still visible on the west wall. The fact that the church is "divided into two halves and standing in two different places" has led to it being described as "one of the oddest in England".
There are two recesses in the south wall, one of which is used as a piscina
Piscina
A piscina is a shallow basin placed near the altar of a church, used for washing the communion vessels. The sacrarium is the drain itself. Anglicans usually refer to the basin, calling it a piscina. Roman Catholics usually refer to the drain, and by extension, the basin, as the sacrarium...
. Another ancient fixture that remains is a roughly executed carving of John Lewis (or Lews) and his wife Agnes, dated 1537. In the form of a triptych, it shows them kneeling and facing a central panel which has now been defaced beyond recognition but which would have shown a Crucifixion
Crucifixion of Jesus
The crucifixion of Jesus and his ensuing death is an event that occurred during the 1st century AD. Jesus, who Christians believe is the Son of God as well as the Messiah, was arrested, tried, and sentenced by Pontius Pilate to be scourged, and finally executed on a cross...
or Trinity
Trinity
The Christian doctrine of the Trinity defines God as three divine persons : the Father, the Son , and the Holy Spirit. The three persons are distinct yet coexist in unity, and are co-equal, co-eternal and consubstantial . Put another way, the three persons of the Trinity are of one being...
scene. It occupies a recess in the north wall and is carved from Caen stone
Caen stone
Caen stone or Pierre de Caen, is a light creamy-yellow Jurassic limestone quarried in northwestern France near the city of Caen.The limestone is a fine grained oolitic limestone formed in shallow water lagoons in the Bathonian Age about 167 million years ago...
. Next to it, another carving depicts St George
Saint George
Saint George was, according to tradition, a Roman soldier from Syria Palaestina and a priest in the Guard of Diocletian, who is venerated as a Christian martyr. In hagiography Saint George is one of the most venerated saints in the Catholic , Anglican, Eastern Orthodox, and the Oriental Orthodox...
and the "gruesome martyrdom" of St Agatha
Agatha of Sicily
Saint Agatha of Sicily is a Christian saint. Her memorial is on 5 February. Agatha was born at Catania, Sicily, and she was martyred in approximately 251...
. Ian Nairn
Ian Nairn
Ian Nairn was a British architectural critic and topographer.He had no formal architecture qualifications; he was a mathematics graduate and a Royal Air Force pilot...
described its style as characteristic of the area and its date: "combining kneeling figures with purely Gothic and purely religious subjects".
The 20th-century stained glass
Stained glass
The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...
consists of a 1969 window by Carl Edwards, commemorating women and featuring an image of the now demolished All Saints Cathedral in Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
, and a 1982 piece by Michael Farrar-Bell
Michael Farrar-Bell
Michael C. Farrar-Bell was an artist, stained glass and postage stamp designer.He designed pub signs, then became best known as a stained glass designer as the last head of Clayton and Bell which had been one of the most prolific and proficient workshops of English stained glass during the latter...
which portrays the nature reserve at Pagham Harbour
Pagham Harbour
Pagham Harbour is a natural harbour on England's south coast. It is south of the city of Chichester and near the towns of Pagham and Selsey.Geographically it is the smallest and most easterly of the harbours of the Solent....
and its animals and birds.
The church today
St Wilfrid's Chapel was listed at Grade I by English HeritageEnglish Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
on 5 June 1958. Such buildings are of "exceptional interest [and] sometimes considered to be internationally important". As of February 2001, it was one of 80 Grade I listed buildings, and 3,251 listed buildings of all grades, in the district of Chichester
Chichester (district)
Chichester is a largely rural local government district in West Sussex, England. Its council is based in the city of Chichester.-History:The district was formed on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, as a merger of the municipal borough of Chichester and the Rural Districts of...
.
The Diocese of Chichester
Diocese of Chichester
The Diocese of Chichester is a Church of England diocese based in Chichester, covering Sussex. It was created in 1075 to replace the old Diocese of Selsey, which was based at Selsey Abbey from 681. The cathedral is Chichester Cathedral and the bishop is the Bishop of Chichester...
declared the chapel redundant
Redundant church
A redundant church is a church building that is no longer required for regular public worship. The phrase is particularly used to refer to former Anglican buildings in the United Kingdom, but may refer to any disused church building around the world...
on 1 November 1990. It was placed into the care of the Redundant Churches Fund (now the Churches Conservation Trust
Churches Conservation Trust
The Churches Conservation Trust, which was initially known as the Redundant Churches Fund, is a charity whose purpose is to protect historic churches at risk, those that have been made redundant by the Church of England. The Trust was established by the Pastoral Measure of 1968...
) from that date, and is now one of five former churches in West Sussex administered by the charity; the others are at Chichester
St John the Evangelist's Church, Chichester
St John the Evangelist's Church is a former Anglican church in the cathedral city of Chichester in West Sussex, England. Built in 1812 to the design of James Elmes as a proprietary chapel, the octagonal white-brick "evangelical preaching house" reflects the early 19th-century ideals of the Church...
, North Stoke
St Mary the Virgin's Church, North Stoke
North Stoke Church, rededicated in 2007 to St Mary the Virgin after its medieval dedication was unexpectedly rediscovered, is a former Church of England parish church in the riverside hamlet of North Stoke in the Horsham District of West Sussex...
, Tortington
St Mary Magdalene's Church, Tortington
St Mary Magdalene's Church is the former Anglican parish church of the hamlet of Tortington in the district of Arun, one of seven local government districts in the English county of West Sussex. Founded in the 12th century to serve a priory and villagers in the riverside location, it has...
and Warminghurst
Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Warminghurst
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is a former Anglican church in the hamlet of Warminghurst in the district of Horsham, one of seven local government districts in the English county of West Sussex. The present building, which is no longer used for worship, has 13th-century origins, but a church may...
.
As of 2006, services were still held irregularly at the church, in particular on the feast day
Calendar of saints
The calendar of saints is a traditional Christian method of organizing a liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the feast day of said saint...
of Saint Wilfrid (12 October).
See also
- Grade I listed buildings in West Sussex
- List of churches preserved by the Churches Conservation Trust in South East England
- Manhood PeninsulaManhood PeninsulaThe Manhood Peninsula is the southernmost part of Sussex in England. It has the English channel to its south and Chichester to the north.The peninsula is bordered to its west by Chichester Harbour and to its east by Pagham Harbour, its southern headland being Selsey Bill.-Name:The name Manhood has...
- Selsey AbbeySelsey AbbeySelsey Abbey was almost certainly built at Church Norton, Selsey, Sussex, England. It was founded in 683AD, and became the seat of the Sussex bishopric, until it was moved in 1075AD to Chichester.-Historical Context :...